A man whose extraordinary effort to avoid arrest and extradition spanned multiple continents, fake identities and even a fabricated death has died behind bars in the United States.Nicholas Rossi, the American convicted rapist who made international headlines after fleeing to Scotland after allegedly faking his own death, died in a Utah hospital on Thursday night while serving a prison sentence for two rape convictions.The Utah Department of Corrections said the 38-year-old man died of complications related to a pre-existing medical condition after stopping treatment. Officials said both his family and the victims have been informed.Rossi, born Nicholas Alhvardian in Rhode Island, was serving a 10-years-to-life sentence after being convicted in separate trials in 2024 of raping two women in Utah in 2008.His downfall followed one of the most bizarre runaway sagas in recent memory. In 2020, an online obituary claimed that Rossi died of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. But investigators became suspicious, especially as he was wanted in the US on rape allegations and other investigations.The mystery came to light in 2021 when hospital staff at Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital reportedly recognized Rossi from an Interpol notice while he was receiving treatment in a Covid ward. Distinctive tattoos helped identify him, despite his insistence that he was actually “Arthur Knight”, an Irish-born orphan who had never set foot in America.For years, Rossi fought extradition in the Scottish courts, appearing at hearings in a wheelchair, often wearing an oxygen mask and formal suit, while maintaining that he was the victim of mistaken identity. He repeatedly denied being Rossi and rejected evidence linking him to the wanted American fugitive.The Scottish courts ultimately rejected his claims, with a judge finding his story unbelievable. After battling legal challenges, he was extradited to the United States in January 2024 and later admitted his true identity during court proceedings.Utah prosecutors portrayed Rossi as a serial sexual predator who spent years trying to avoid accountability. One victim testified that Rossi became abusive shortly after a stormy engagement and raped her in 2008. Another woman reported that she was assaulted after confronting him over money, alleging that she had stolen it.Salt Lake County Attorney Sim Gill said Rossi spent years trying to avoid justice but ultimately died in prison after being publicly convicted.“Mr. Rossi was a sexual predator who sought to avoid accountability,” Gill said. He said his victims could find some solace in knowing that he died in prison and that he was fully aware of his crimes.